Two key members of England’s squad are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to players missing because of ACL injuries as former stars say issue is the result of a century of underinvestment in the women’s game
It was inevitable that any hiccup along England’s World Cup journey would be framed around absent friends.
As Sarina Wiegeman’s team prepares for their meeting with Denmark, having scraped a 1-0 win against Haiti last weekend, talk has shifted back towards how much the losses of goalscorer Beth Mead and captain Leah Williamson because of ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments are affecting the setup.
But England are far from alone: the curse of the torn ACL is an issue that has affected many of the contenders in Australia and New Zealand.
United States forward Catarina Macario, a recent signing for Chelsea, is still recovering from rupturing the ligament in her left knee while another of the reigning champions’ stars, Christen Press, is yet to return from an injury sustained 13 months ago and has required four surgeries.